Orphans

Esther is orphaned of both her father and mother; that is why she is raised by her cousin Mordechai. Under the assumption that every detail of a person's biography shapes them in a certain way, what is the significance of her being an orphan?

It has been pointed out many times that the Esther and Joseph story share similarities - both in the storyline (dragged away from their homes, to make their way alone in a foreign context; becoming close to a powerful ruler and being able to help their families through their position of power etc.) and in actual intertextual connections, of similar words and phrases.

Joseph too was an orphan - his mother having died when he was a young child. Although his father Jacob is still alive, Joseph does not see him between the age of 17 and 39, until they are reunited. Conceivably, he feels abandoned by him, for allowing his brothers to sell him and not coming to look for him. Additionally, he cannot even know if Jacob is still living all this time. Thus, for all intents and purposes he is orphaned of both parents for most of his young adult life: in Potiphar's house, in the prison, and in the first part of his service as Pharaoh's viceroy.

There is a commandment to be kind to the orphan, because this person is vulnerable, lacking the basic parental care and nurturing needed for fundamental security in the world. It seems, looking through the prism of every detail carefully calibrated by the Divine, that Joseph and Esther being orphaned at a young age was part of what shaped these two for their important and historical destiny. How exactly it did so only God knows; but I imagine that it created a sensitivity, a reflectiveness, and a shyness that was part of their appeal, that meant that they both "found favour in the eyes of all" - which was an important part of their success. 

We also know that they were both described as beautiful. Rabbi Isaac Luria, the Arizal, points out that the word for orphan, YaTOM is the abbreviation for Yefeh Toar V'yefeh Mareh, meaning beautiful of form and countenance - a phrase used to describe Joseph (Gen. 39:6). We can see that Esther is similarly described (Esther 2:7) as Yefat Toar V'Tovat Mareh - again, spelling YaTOM. 

I think what we learn is that being orphaned at a young age is a traumatic experience, and can undoubtedly leave scars. At the same time, it can create a delicacy of feeling, an empathy to others, that may be the incubator for future leadership - provided the person can get past the psychological damage entailed.